To Be A Father
by CookieFlame
Summary: The life as a single & attractive man is coveted among many. Not for Gohan. He loves his life free of responsibility and intends on keeping it that way. But unfortunately, his luck disintegrates the moment a girl shows up at his doorstop claiming to be his kid. We know the story, but this isn't it.
1. Chapter 1

_**I do not own Dragon Ball Z**_

_**Or its characters! But Akira**_

_**Toriyama does!**_

**To Be A Father: Chapter 1: Encounters**

_What time is it? What happened last night?_

Gohan slowly opened his eyes only to shield them from the blinding light that was shooting at him from an open window.

His hand quickly shot up to his forehead, trying to settle his mind from spinning so wildly. He was lying on a hardwood floor, there seemed to be a putrid smell coming from his right, and his belly was wet. He had a beer bottle in his right hand while his left held a bud that had been burnt. The sound of snores infiltrated his ears. He raised his head off the floor a few inches and saw an unconscious woman in front of him.

_Ah man… I need to find Goten and get out of here…. _

Gohan sat up on his knees, viewing his surroundings. There were tons of people in the same position in which he had been. Motionless and reeking of alcohol.

He had agreed to go out on the condition that they would only stay for a while and go to a bar. As it turns out, his little brother, Goten, had coerced him in to staying with some of the best Maryjane ever….

Gohan lives with his brother in an apartment in West City. The place wasn't exactly theirs… They lived with Trunks Briefs… CEO of Capsule Corp.

Of course they had "jobs". Gohan worked part time as a bartender while Goten worked as a cashier in a retail outlet. You could say that it was thanks to their really close friendship with Trunks that Gohan and Goten weren't out on the street. Gohan was the oldest out of the three and usually looked out for them… whenever he wasn't partying or sleeping.

Gohan carefully stepped over all of the limp and moaning bodies and eyed each body, searching for his brother. _I knew we should have left after two joints! This is what happens when I listen to an idiot! _

He took out his phone and texted a familiar number.

**Hey Trunks- Plz pick us up**

**Thnx!**

They had been living with Trunks for six years. They helped pay rent but to be honest, most of the bills were already being covered with Trunks' enormous paycheck. The only thing they really pay for is gas. Gohan had gone to college but later dropped out when he realized that school wasn't for him. He finished the four year university and had intended to become a scholar but only finished one official year.

He was twenty-six and he felt okay with his life… His parents had disappeared on Goten and him when Gohan was about fourteen and Goten was ten. They didn't hear from them until they sent a postcard from some tropical island that Gohan could never remember the name to. They went to go live with their Uncle Raditz for a while. He wasn't ever in the house and left little to no money.

He had taken care of Goten with the money that he earned from working part-time, it wasn't much but it was enough to make sure Goten ate three square meals a day. They met Trunks when Gohan was twenty-two and Goten was eighteen. They met outside a club when the bouncer wouldn't let them inside. Trunks had come to their aid and ordered the man to let them in. It was the start of "bromance" for them.

After they moved in with Trunks, Gohan stopped school and just went to get a job to help with the monthly rent.

"Goten! Get up! It's 9:47 am! You're late for work!" Gohan screamed as hit an unconscious Goten with the tip of his foot. He had found him in a different room from where Gohan had woken up. There wasn't as many bodies in here as there was in the room Gohan was in. The place was entire mess though. Whoever owned it was in for real clean up day…

"Unnn….Eh?" The boy yawned as he squinted his eyes to focus on his brother.

"Goten! Get up!" Gohan hissed, grabbing his neck collar to lift him up. The boy rubbed his eyes and was pulled through the house until they reached the front door.

"Did you two have fun last night?" a voice asked. They had gone out of the house and were on the street where a town car waited patiently for them.

"Hey Trunks! Yeah, we did. But Gohan had too much fun," Goten laughed looking at his brother.

"I did not- okay… I did, but you're going to get fired from work-"

"No he's not. I called the store and told them he had come down with something very contagious. You're covered buddy!" Trunks smiled as he scratched his lavender hair. They were all easy on the eyes. In fact they had been called good looking by many women…. And men…

"Lets go home…. I'm tired… Do you go to work today Trunks?" Gohan asked.

He shook his head and grinned. "Nope, I have a free day at last!"

"I guess I'm the only one working tonight then… figures…" Gohan sighed as he kicked a small pebble.

"Well, in the car we go gentlemen!"

_**At the Boys' apartment…..**_

They had gone up twenty flights of stairs and still needed five more to go. The elevator had gone down, forcing them to get an early work out.

"So you two are not going out tonight without me- Ah!" Trunks had bumped into a woman.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" the woman apologized. She had dark hair and bright blue eyes. Her eyes had dark circles around them and she looked tired. She was pretty though… very pretty. Gohan looked at her curiously and cocked his head.

"It's okay-" Trunks managed to get out before the woman sped away.

"Jeez Gohan. One look at you and she ran away… Maybe you are ugly…" Goten joked.

"Ha-ha! Whatever.. lets get upstairs," Gohan sighed. They hesitantly ran up the remaining flights and finally made it to their floor.

"We made it! Thank Kami!" Goten shouted, his arms waving in the air.

"Yup, we really are champions," Trunks joked stretching his body. Gohan laughed but froze when his eyes came to their apartment front door. There was… a child sitting at the foot of the door… She had a suitcase with her…

"You guys… Who is that?" Gohan asked, taking the younger men out of their conversation. Goten and Trunks finally noticed the kid and looked at each other in confusion. They shrugged and walked over to the child.

It was a girl, but she was so bundled up in warm clothing that it was hard to tell from afar. She looked at them with dark big eyes. She had jet black hair that came to her shoulders.

"Um… Hello. Who might you be?" Trunks asked softly, getting down to eye level with her.

The little girl looked away and turned to her suitcase. She pulled out a folded piece of paper from a sleeve. She looked at all three of them and blinked. She extended her arm and gave the note to Trunks.

Trunks eyed the paper and frowned. He turned to the other two and shrugged.

"It's addressed to you Gohan," he said handing the note over. Gohan raised his eyebrows and took the note.

_Dear Son Gohan,_

_The child in front of you is your child. Her name is Pan and she's six years old. I became pregnant when we attended college together and met for a one night stand at a fraternity party. You can make DNA tests if you want but they'll just say that she is your daughter. I know this for a fact because, I lost my virginity to you… Please take care of her. I can't because of my financial status…. I would never ask you for help, but I would do anything to ensure Pan lives comfortably… There is a list of her allergies and favorite things in her suitcase. She has been having some nightmares so just let her sleep with you when she wakes you. I'm sorry to drop her on you like this, but she is also your daughter. Take some responsibility. _

_Sincerely, V.S._

Gohan stood frozen and let the note fall from his hands. He stared at the girl in front of him…. This was his child.

**Oh snap! Gohan what are ya gonna do? Well looks like the guys have a kid with them now… Hmm, I wonder if they won't mind a small person in their apartment…. REVIEW and tell me!**

**AGES**

**Gohan-26**

**Trunks-23**

**Goten-22**

**Pan-6**


	2. Compassion

_**I do not own Dragon Ball Z**_

_**Or its characters! But Akira**_

_**Toriyama does!**_

**To Be A Father: Chapter 2: Compassion **

Gohan eyed the damned letter and let his jaw drop. Goten stared at his brother questioningly and demanded an answer judging by his facial expression. Trunks attempted taking a peek at the letter squinted his eyes to focus on the words. Gohan stepped on it and looked away, not wanting to face this absurd claim.

"Gohan! What is it?" Goten yelped waving his arms around to catch his brother's attention. The little girl in front of them kept her eyes locked on the floor while she twiddled with her heavy coat. Trunks placed both hands on his hips, annoyed that Gohan won't speak up.

A million tiny thoughts were buzzing in Gohan's skull like an angry beehive. Everything was just so surreal. His head slowly turned towards the staircase. _That woman… she ran when she saw me…. This is bull-_

"Gohan! Would you mind telling me what is going on!?" his brother screeched, making the room echo with his voice. Gohan took that yell as a wake-up call and ran for the staircase. His feet were running faster than his mind, leaving Trunks and Goten to wonder what made him dart towards the stairs for his life.

"What's up with him?" Trunks asked, shaking his head slightly. Goten shrugged and reached down for the now filthy note on the cement ground. Trunks rushed over, almost tripping on his feet. They scanned the note carefully and their eyes couldn't believe what was written on the crumpled note book paper. They looked at the girl on the front step and back at the note. She was staring off into space. Too busy to notice everyone else.

Gohan ran as fast as he could down the stairs, trying to catch up with the woman who had bumped into Trunks earlier. He became desperate enough to jump over rails. _How many flights are there?_

He managed to reach the lobby and searched frantically for the woman. His head scouring the room for her like a hawk would its prey. Nothing came to his attention. She must have left. Gohan sprinted towards the front door and searched for the wanted woman.

She was getting inside a town car!

"Hey! You! Come back here!" he called. The people walking by looked at him as if he had something on his face. He continued calling for her but she couldn't hear him over the mass of people talking, the thousands of cars running, and harsh wind blowing.

He ran hastily and was starting to get out of breath when the car sped away, leaving him to stand confused and angered. He turned back around and began to walk into the building, his steps slow and painful.

How could this be possible? Who was that woman? This was all some kind of joke… it just had to be… Trunks and Goten were just messing with him… He couldn't have a kid… Not now! He was having the time of his life… He doesn't need some kid ruining that… He wasn't ready for this type of responsibility… Wait a minute… Maybe the kid wasn't his… Maybe this was some kind of scam… That had to be it! This was all just some complex rouse to get him to cough up money…

Gohan walked up the miserable flights of stairs once more, contemplating what to do with the child. He finally made it up and saw Trunks and Goten trying to talk to the child.

His eyebrows furrowed and he made a face saying 'What are you two doing?'

"Who's your mommy?" Trunks asked kneeling down and removing the child's hood. She turned away quickly and scooted back to get away from the man.

"What's your name?" Goten asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

"Pan…" she mumbled softly. This alerted the both of them. That was the first time she talked.

Gohan rolled his eyes and walked over to the three of them.

"You guys, don't get attached. This is all a joke," he spat digging his hands in his pockets. They looked at him and frowned.

"I don't know… She kinda looks like you Gohan. I mean there is a major resemblance… Maybe she is your kid," Goten smiled.

"I'm with Goten on this one. She does look like you, and you do get around," Trunks laughed narrowing his eyes down at Gohan's manliness.

"Not around the kid Trunks!" Gohan exclaimed. He turned his attention towards the girl. "I don't know what you two are planning but it isn't going to work. You can come in until someone comes for you."

"Gohan… We really do think she's your kid… And it all kind of fits together. At least get a DNA test to make sure…" Trunks said calmly, standing up to be on eye level with him.

Gohan smirked and shook his head. "I don't know what good it'll do… but why waste my time?"

Goten got up and opened the apartment door, alarming the child. He picked up her bags and nodded towards the inside to signal her to get in. She got up and dusted herself off and went inside before Goten.

Trunks looked at Gohan, expecting him to change his mind. "What do you have to lose Gohan?"

The black haired man sighed and looked away. What did he have to lose?

"Fine, I'll do it. But this is all just a scam. What are we going to do with her for right now though?" he asked.

"We'll just keep her here for a while. She won't bother anyone, she's too quiet," Trunks smiled.

Gohan nodded and both of them headed inside. They saw the girl standing on the side of the door. Trunks pointed his head in her direction at Gohan.

Gohan hesitated and walked over to her. He kneeled down and frowned at her. Trunks and Goten weren't wrong; she did look like him.

She looked directly into his eyes and frowned.

"So… Um… Pan? Yeah, Pan. What do you like to do?" Gohan asked. He figured it be better to start their first conversation like that other than 'Hey, I think you're a liar and trying to stifle me out of what little money I have left'.

She didn't answer instead she walked away from him and crossed her arms. Gohan looked at Trunks, his facial expression screaming 'What a brat!'

Trunks signaled for him to try again. Gohan blew air up to his forehead and walked over to her. "Look, this will just be easier if you just cooperate with me."

She looked at him and flicked his forehead.

"Oww! You little br-"

"Gohan!" Trunks yelled.

"What! She started it!" he yelped. _She's stubborn… just like Gohan…_ Trunks thought while smiling. Trunks rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. Gohan was about to follow when something caught his attention.

The girl was crying… _Oh no… How do I handle this? _

"Hey are you okay?" he asked turning back to look at her.

She shook her head and gripped the ends of her coat. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her head.

"Come on, cheer up. We don't cry in the house of fun," he laughed. She sniffled and looked at him.

"I-I miss my mommy," she choked. Gohan got a lump in his throat. He knew what it was like to be abandoned by your parents. It was a terrible feeling… He got down on one knee to be on eye level with her. He hugged her close. She didn't say anything. She just let her tears flow onto his shirt.

Goten walked into the room looking back and forth, not noticing the two in the room. "Hey Gohan, do you know where my lucky underwear is- Oh… I better go…"

**Aww… Well this is only the beginning… The beginning of head aches, heart breaks, and yelling. REVIEW and tell me what you thought.**

**Lolgirl. lisa - **Thanks! And trust me, there's a lot more to come…. Teehee

**Pokegirl2- **Well… There's more to come with Videl and all…

**TeeLee123-**Trunks! Yeah he'll be like the mom of the group… But just remember, he can have his meany pants days… Ahh Gohan… He's gonna have _loads_ of fun raising Pan. But will Videl come back? Who am I kidding, of course she is! But by then, will Gohan be willing to part with Pan? It makes me really happy that you like the story! Oh and trust me, they're going to have their hands full with Pan….

**KaosMoshpit- ***Evil grin* Oh don't worry, I'm going to hit that subject really soon… When I was writing this I thought about it and I was thinking the same thing as you. It does seem unlikely for someone his age to be okay with someone like Trunks take care of his expenses. I'm glad you'll keep reading!

**dbzgirl1999- **I've never seen that movie… I'm glad you liked the beginning!

**Thanks for reading everyone!**


	3. Guru

_**I do not own Dragon Ball Z**_

_**Or its characters! But Akira**_

_**Toriyama does!**_

**To Be A Father: Chapter 3: Guru**

"Okay, so… Are you or something?" Gohan asked looking down at the dark haired child.

She nodded and looked around the apartment. It was somewhat clean. Cluttered around the walls, but clean nonetheless.

"So uh… what do you want?" the man asked rubbing his head. He looked at the kitchen. He usually never goes in there except he has the late night munchies.

"I don't know…"

"Trunks!" Gohan called. The lavender haired man came in looking alarmed, a baseball bat in hand.

"What!? What happened!?" he yelped, looking for any sign of trouble, holding the bat closely to his chest.

"She doesn't know what she wants to eat…" Gohan laughed un-heartedly. Trunks raised his eyebrows and dropped his bat and walked away to his room. "Wait Trunks! I don't know what to do!"

Gohan smiled down at Pan and kneeled down. "What'd you say if we get you a room, and then we get something to eat?"

Pan shrugged and began to walk down the hallway. Gohan picked up her bags and followed. "Since we only have three rooms, you can take mine, and I'll sleep on the couch until we can figure things out and find your mom."

She stayed silent. The only sounds were their light breathing and their footsteps. As they reached Gohan's room, he nudged the door opened and walked inside. His room was large and contained a shelf full of books he never touches, a computer, and a four poster sized bed. A giant window overlooking the city let the sunlight in, making every shiny thing glare from its rays.

"I'll just put your things next to the bed and you do… whatever kids your age do…"

"You don't want me here, do you?" she asked, looking out the window.

He bit his lip and thought of an adequate answer for this delicate situation. "It's not that I don't want you here… it's just I don't know what to do… You were kinda just dropped on me…"

"So… Is my mom coming back?"

He walked towards the door and stopped in the door way. "I don't know…"

Gohan shut the door and stayed frozen for a few seconds. He really didn't know if she would come back for the girl. For now, he would have to do his best to… accommodate,

"Gohan… you've only been a dad for about ten minutes and you already suck at it!" Goten teased as he leaned against his bedroom door. Gohan rolled his eyes and walked towards the living room, ignoring his brother. "Hey!"

"I don't need to hear this from a guy who still wears underwear that has the days of the weeks on it!"

Goten stood still and let his jaw drop. "Gohan… that hurts… By the way, you're late for work."

Gohan's eyes widened and he frantically searched for a clock. When he found one, he glared at Goten. "That wasn't funny…"

"It is if we're not you…" Goten choked as he held his side.

Gohan rubbed his temples as he realized though he wasn't late for work, he did indeed have work that night. He was a bit happy though. This would give him some sort of space to breathe and take in his predicament.

"Come on Gohan. Lighten up. You're not going to turn all responsible all on me now that you've got a kid, are you?"

"You know what Goten!? There is a little kid in my room who is hungry! And I don't know what to do!" he collapsed under his legs and fell to the ground. "I can't take care of a kid… I'm not... ready…" Gohan let his head fall, his hands catching it and cradling it in his palms.

Goten walked towards his brother and bent down to be at eye level. "Hey man…" Goten sighed, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's going to be fine… this whole mess is going to be fine…"

"Goten," Gohan groaned. "If I can't figure out what to make a kid for lunch… Then what does that tell you?"

Goten laughed and sat down next to his brother. "It means that you were just hit with some pretty big news and you're panicking… It's only natural. I'd be worried if you weren't acting like this."

Gohan looked up to find his brother looking serious and compassionate. It was a rare occasion when Goten acted like this. The last time he saw him this way was when he was scraping the bucket to get him and his brother along during their stay with their uncle.

"Hmph… You're pretty smart when you want to be you know."

"Yeah… Did you see where Trunks put my rubber duck? I wanna take a bath… My body is way too tense right now."

"And there goes the genius guru…" Gohan snickered as he stood up and dusted his lap off. "I still have to make her something to eat."

"Do you want to order take out?"

"Nah… Besides we have to check out what she can and can't eat. I don't want to kill her on her first night here because I added walnuts to her chicken salad."

**Gohan is learning the beauty of the surprise… Hehe… REVIEW and tell me what you thought.**

**TeeLee123: Oh… you bet… Poor Pan is going to be… shall we say… eccentric… **

**lolgirl. lisa : Yeah… Pan is going to have to learn some manners! **

**KaosMoshpit: How do you read my mind so easily!? I'm going to have to throw in more curveballs…**


End file.
